Lobsang Sangay, First Sikyong of the Central Tibetan Administration, Delivers Lecture at GIDS, NCCU, on Democracy and Governance in CTA in the context of Global China
Date :
2026-10-30
Department :
GIDS
【Article by Graduate Institute of Development Studies]】
The Graduate Institute of Development Studies (GIDS) of the College of Social Sciences hosted a lecture on October featuring Dr. Lobsang Sangay, the first Sikyong (political leader) of the Central Tibetan Administration (hereafter CTA), the official name of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile based in Dharamshala, India. Sangay, who is also a Senior Visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School, delivered a presentation titled ‘Democracy and Politics of CTA in the Context of Global China,’ drawing a large audience from both inside and outside the university, including several Tibetans residing in Taiwan. Prior to the lecture, Sangay and his delegation visited GIDS, where they were received by Dr. Yu-Hsuan Su, Director of GIDS, alongside Dr. Hao-Tzu Ho and Dr. Mei-Chuan Wei.
Before the lecture began, the moderator, Dr. Mei-Chuan Wei, invited Kelsang Gyaltsen, Chairman of the Dalai Lama Religious Foundation, and Dr. Nai-Hua Chen, an expert in Tibetan studies from the Department of Ethnology at NCCU, to deliver opening remarks. Gyaltsen briefly introduced the Dalai Lama Religious Foundation, explaining its role as the de facto embassy of the CTA in Taiwan, and expressed his pleasure at the opportunity to interact with students on campus. Dr. Nai-Hua Chen then briefly highlighted the university’s pivotal role in Tibetan studies within Taiwan. She noted that while overseas Tibetans have traditionally been studied through the lens of ‘diaspora,’ future research could consider adopting the concept of ‘Global Tibet,’ using ‘Tibet as a method’, or expanding the scope into broader Himalayan studies.
At the outset of his lecture, Sangay candidly acknowledged that his active advocacy for Tibetan human rights has labelled him a troublemaker in the eyes of the Chinese government, resulting in his ban from entering China. He shared a recent experience from his current tour. Prior to arriving in Taiwan for this lecture, he had been giving speeches in the Philippines but was forced to depart early due to pressure exerted by the Chinese Embassy. Speaking on the plight of exiled Tibetans and the CTA under China’s global influence, Sangay pointed out that the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which took effect in July, is the most influential piece of legislation.
Sangay specifically cited Article 63 of the law, which stipulates that ‘Organisations and individuals outside the territory of the People’s Republic of China that commit acts harming ethnic unity and progress or inciting ethnic secession against the People’s Republic of China shall be investigated for legal liability in accordance with the law.’ He explained that this clause provides a legal pretext for the Chinese Communist Party to define human rights advocacy by overseas Tibetans as a disruption of ethnic unity and a provocation of secession. Furthermore, he emphasized the reasoning and significance behind translating Tibet as ‘Tubote’ (圖博) rather than ‘Xizang’ (西藏), noting that the CCP is actively attempting to replace the name ‘Tibet’ with the Hanyu Pinyin translation ‘Xizang.’
Sangay then pointed out that approximately 35 to 38 million people worldwide are currently living in exile. Many of these overseas exiles are individuals who advocated for democracy and participated in democratic elections in their home countries. Even after winning elections, they were forced into exile because the authoritarian regimes and leaders in their countries refused to transfer power. He believes that in the face of the authoritarian regimes within their own nations, overseas exiles must stand united. However, this is no easy task, as authoritarian rulers often employ a ‘divide and rule’ strategy against these exiled communities.
When referencing the anti-authoritarian movement, Sangay noted that following the ‘Third Wave’ of global democracy, a concept introduced by American political scientist Samuel Huntington that began in the mid-1970s, a trend of ‘global democratic backsliding’ started to emerge around 2005. Strikingly, this global retreat of democracy has become a major trend despite the continuous investment of diverse resources into global democratic advocacy, as well as a steady increase in both the number of democracy scholars and published academic works. He remarked that this raises a critical question as to Why is it that amidst sustained democratic advocacy and a growing body of research, the number of authoritarian states continues to rise, leaving approximately 75% of the world’s population living under authoritarian regimes?
Amidst the emergence of youth-led protest movements, driven primarily by Generation Z, across many countries, such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India in South Asia, as well as European nations like France, Italy, and Belgium, Sangay also emphasized the pivotal role that the younger generation plays in political development. He argued that the primary reason why many countries, such as those that experienced the ‘Arab Spring’ pro-democracy movements, ultimately failed to transition into democracies is that the protesting youth aimed only to overthrow authoritarian governments instead of stepping in to replace them.
The Q&A session saw enthusiastic and active participation from the participants of the event. Students from the International Master’s Program in Asia-Pacific Studies (IMAS) raised questions on a variety of topics, including the challenges of conducting global democratic voting within the CTA, the pivotal role of identity in the establishment of the CTA and overseas Tibetan movements, and the risk of young anti-authoritarian activists being co-opted by mainstream political forces or governments. Dr. Nai-hua Chen asking about whether any individuals or intermediary channels currently exist for communications between the CTA in Dharamshala and the Tibet Autonomous Region within China. Following the conclusion of the lecture, a vibrant exchange of ideas continued.
The Graduate Institute of Development Studies (GIDS) of the College of Social Sciences hosted a lecture on October featuring Dr. Lobsang Sangay, the first Sikyong (political leader) of the Central Tibetan Administration (hereafter CTA), the official name of the Tibetan Government-in-Exile based in Dharamshala, India. Sangay, who is also a Senior Visiting Fellow at Harvard Law School, delivered a presentation titled ‘Democracy and Politics of CTA in the Context of Global China,’ drawing a large audience from both inside and outside the university, including several Tibetans residing in Taiwan. Prior to the lecture, Sangay and his delegation visited GIDS, where they were received by Dr. Yu-Hsuan Su, Director of GIDS, alongside Dr. Hao-Tzu Ho and Dr. Mei-Chuan Wei.
Before the lecture began, the moderator, Dr. Mei-Chuan Wei, invited Kelsang Gyaltsen, Chairman of the Dalai Lama Religious Foundation, and Dr. Nai-Hua Chen, an expert in Tibetan studies from the Department of Ethnology at NCCU, to deliver opening remarks. Gyaltsen briefly introduced the Dalai Lama Religious Foundation, explaining its role as the de facto embassy of the CTA in Taiwan, and expressed his pleasure at the opportunity to interact with students on campus. Dr. Nai-Hua Chen then briefly highlighted the university’s pivotal role in Tibetan studies within Taiwan. She noted that while overseas Tibetans have traditionally been studied through the lens of ‘diaspora,’ future research could consider adopting the concept of ‘Global Tibet,’ using ‘Tibet as a method’, or expanding the scope into broader Himalayan studies.
At the outset of his lecture, Sangay candidly acknowledged that his active advocacy for Tibetan human rights has labelled him a troublemaker in the eyes of the Chinese government, resulting in his ban from entering China. He shared a recent experience from his current tour. Prior to arriving in Taiwan for this lecture, he had been giving speeches in the Philippines but was forced to depart early due to pressure exerted by the Chinese Embassy. Speaking on the plight of exiled Tibetans and the CTA under China’s global influence, Sangay pointed out that the Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress, which took effect in July, is the most influential piece of legislation.
Sangay specifically cited Article 63 of the law, which stipulates that ‘Organisations and individuals outside the territory of the People’s Republic of China that commit acts harming ethnic unity and progress or inciting ethnic secession against the People’s Republic of China shall be investigated for legal liability in accordance with the law.’ He explained that this clause provides a legal pretext for the Chinese Communist Party to define human rights advocacy by overseas Tibetans as a disruption of ethnic unity and a provocation of secession. Furthermore, he emphasized the reasoning and significance behind translating Tibet as ‘Tubote’ (圖博) rather than ‘Xizang’ (西藏), noting that the CCP is actively attempting to replace the name ‘Tibet’ with the Hanyu Pinyin translation ‘Xizang.’
Sangay then pointed out that approximately 35 to 38 million people worldwide are currently living in exile. Many of these overseas exiles are individuals who advocated for democracy and participated in democratic elections in their home countries. Even after winning elections, they were forced into exile because the authoritarian regimes and leaders in their countries refused to transfer power. He believes that in the face of the authoritarian regimes within their own nations, overseas exiles must stand united. However, this is no easy task, as authoritarian rulers often employ a ‘divide and rule’ strategy against these exiled communities.
When referencing the anti-authoritarian movement, Sangay noted that following the ‘Third Wave’ of global democracy, a concept introduced by American political scientist Samuel Huntington that began in the mid-1970s, a trend of ‘global democratic backsliding’ started to emerge around 2005. Strikingly, this global retreat of democracy has become a major trend despite the continuous investment of diverse resources into global democratic advocacy, as well as a steady increase in both the number of democracy scholars and published academic works. He remarked that this raises a critical question as to Why is it that amidst sustained democratic advocacy and a growing body of research, the number of authoritarian states continues to rise, leaving approximately 75% of the world’s population living under authoritarian regimes?
Amidst the emergence of youth-led protest movements, driven primarily by Generation Z, across many countries, such as Pakistan, Bangladesh, and India in South Asia, as well as European nations like France, Italy, and Belgium, Sangay also emphasized the pivotal role that the younger generation plays in political development. He argued that the primary reason why many countries, such as those that experienced the ‘Arab Spring’ pro-democracy movements, ultimately failed to transition into democracies is that the protesting youth aimed only to overthrow authoritarian governments instead of stepping in to replace them.
The Q&A session saw enthusiastic and active participation from the participants of the event. Students from the International Master’s Program in Asia-Pacific Studies (IMAS) raised questions on a variety of topics, including the challenges of conducting global democratic voting within the CTA, the pivotal role of identity in the establishment of the CTA and overseas Tibetan movements, and the risk of young anti-authoritarian activists being co-opted by mainstream political forces or governments. Dr. Nai-hua Chen asking about whether any individuals or intermediary channels currently exist for communications between the CTA in Dharamshala and the Tibet Autonomous Region within China. Following the conclusion of the lecture, a vibrant exchange of ideas continued.